Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has been called a game manager many times over the course of his career and seemed to bristle at it a few years ago.
That feeling seems to have gone away. During a conference call on Wednesday, Smith was asked if he takes it as a slight when people describe him as a game manager. Smith explained why he didn’t have a problem with it.
“You take the public’s meaning of the word and the negative connotations of it, but yeah, hands down, there absolutely is – there’s so many different situations, especially at this level that you have to know and they’re hard to teach,” Smith said. “Sometimes it comes from experience and playing a lot and being around, and the more you play, you just kind of bank all that stuff and you learn from watching other games and guys and what they do and talking about situations. But no question, I think that’s a huge aspect of football, especially situational football.”
Smith went on to say that he thinks his ability to manage situations will “absolutely” help him against the Patriots this weekend, because “little things can get magnified” in big games. It would help if Smith and the Chiefs don’t have to manage around wide receiver Jeremy Maclin’s absence due to a high ankle sprain, but Smith’s record over the last five years with both the 49ers and Chiefs shows that he has the ability to manage his way to wins more often than not.